THE AFRICAN COURIER. Reporting Africa and its Diaspora! The African Courier is an international magazine published in Germany to report on Africa and the Diaspora African experience. The first issue of the bimonthly magazine appeared on the newsstands on 15 February 1998. The African Courier is a communication forum for European-African political, economic and cultural exchanges, and a voice for Africa in Europe.
Ghana will host a major international conference on reparatory justice from 17 to 19 June 2026 as a direct follow-up to the historic resolution adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 25 March 2026 declaring the transatlantic trafficking and enslavement of Africans as the gravest crime against humanity.
The ‘High-Level Next Steps Conference on Reparatory Justice’ will take place in Accra under the auspices of Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama, who also serves as the African Union Champion for Reparations. According to Ghana’s Foreign Ministry, the gathering aims to build on the momentum generated by UN Resolution A/RES/80/250, which received the support of 123 UN member states.
The resolution marked a significant breakthrough in the global reparations movement by formally recognising the trafficking of enslaved Africans and racialised chattel slavery as crimes against humanity. The upcoming conference is expected to focus on translating that moral and political recognition into concrete international action frameworks.
Heads of state, foreign ministers, historians, jurists, academics, activists and representatives of regional and international organisations are expected to participate. Discussions will centre on developing coordinated policy approaches, institutional mechanisms and sustained international engagement around reparatory justice. Organisers say the conference outcome document will propose forward-looking recommendations to guide future continental and global action.
One of the highlights of the conference will be the first-ever Juneteenth commemoration at the historic Christiansborg Castle, a former slave-trading fort with deep historical links to the transatlantic slave trade. The event, organised jointly with Africans in the United States, is intended to reinforce themes of remembrance, healing, recognition and justice.
The conference forms part of a broader continental push for reparatory justice championed by the African Union and Caribbean governments. In recent years, African and Caribbean leaders, scholars and civil society groups have intensified demands for reparations from former colonial and slave-trading powers, arguing that the enduring effects of slavery, colonial exploitation and racial injustice continue to shape global inequalities today.
Ghana has increasingly positioned itself at the forefront of this global movement. Building on initiatives such as the “Year of Return” in 2019 and the “Beyond the Return” programme, the country has sought to strengthen ties with the African diaspora while promoting historical reckoning and Pan-African solidarity. The June conference is expected to deepen cooperation between African states, diaspora communities and international partners in shaping a unified global reparations agenda.
Femi Awoniyi
